In positioning systems based on satellite positioning, a positioning receiver attempts to receive signals from at least four satellites in order to determine the position of the positioning receiver as well as the time data. An example of such a satellite positioning system is the GPS system (Global Positioning System), comprising a plurality of satellites orbiting the globe according to predetermined orbits. These satellites transmit Ephemeris data, on the basis of which the position of a satellite can be determined at each moment of time, in case the exact time data used in the satellite positioning system is known in the positioning receiver. In the GPS system, the satellites transmit a spread spectrum signal modulated with a code which is individual for each satellite. Thus, the positioning receiver can distinguish signals transmitted by different satellites from each other by using a reference code corresponding to a satellite code generated locally in the positioning receiver.
Each operating satellite of the GPS system transmits a so-called L1 signal at the carrier frequency of 1575.42 MHz. This frequency is also indicated with 154f0, where f0=10.23 MHz. Furthermore, the satellites transmit another ranging signal at a carrier frequency of 1227.6 MHz called L2, i.e. 120f0. In the satellite, these signals are modulated with at least one pseudo sequence. This pseudo sequence is different for each satellite. As a result of the modulation, a code-modulated wide-band signal is generated. The modulation technique used in the receiver makes it possible to distinguish between the signals transmitted by different satellites, although the carrier frequencies used in the transmission are substantially the same. This modulation technique is called code division multiple access (CDMA). In each satellite, for modulating the L1 signal, the pseudo sequence used is e.g. a so-called C/A code (Coarse/Acquisition code), which is a code from the family of the Gold codes. Each GPS satellite transmits a signal by using an individual C/A code. The codes are formed as a modulo-2 sum of two 1023-bit binary sequences. The first binary sequence G1 is formed with the polynome X10+X3+1, and the second binary sequence G2 is formed by delaying the polynome X10+X9+X8+X6+X3+X2+1 in such a way that the delay is different for each satellite. This arrangement makes it possible to generate different C/A codes by using identical code generators. The C/A codes are thus binary codes whose chipping rate in the GPS system is 1.023 MHz. The C/A code comprises 1023 chips, wherein the iteration time (epoch) of the code is 1 ms. The carrier of the L1 signal is further modulated by navigation information at a bit rate of 50 bit/s. The navigation information comprises information about the “health”, orbit, time data of the satellite, etc.
To detect the signals of the satellites and to identify the satellites, the receiver performs acquisition, whereby the receiver searches for the signal of one satellite at a time and attempts to be synchronized and locked to this signal so that the information transmitted with the signal can be received and demodulated.
The positioning receiver must perform the acquisition e.g. when the receiver is turned on and also in a situation in which the receiver has not been capable of receiving the signal of any satellite for a long time. Such a situation can easily occur e.g. in portable devices, because the device is moving and the antenna of the device is not always in an optimal position in relation to the satellites, which impairs the strength of the signal coming in the receiver. In portable devices, the aim is also to reduce the power consumption to a minimum. Thus, for example, a positioning receiver arranged in connection with a wireless communication device is not necessarily kept in operation all the time, but primarily when there is a need to perform positioning. This causes, e.g., the problem that the time taken for the positioning is relatively long, because the positioning receiver must first perform acquisition, after which it starts to receive navigation information either from the satellite signal or, e.g., from a base station in a mobile communication network. The positioning receiver can perform the positioning first after it has received a sufficient quantity of navigation information. Further-more, the positioning receiver must take pseudo range measurements which, in receivers of prior art, are started after receiving at least the satellite Ephemeris parameters of the navigation information. This will prolong the time taken from the turning on of the positioning receiver to the completion of the first position-time fix.
The distances between the positioning receiver and the satellites are called pseudo ranges, because the time is not accurately known in the positioning receiver. Thus, the determinations of position and time are iterated until a sufficient accuracy is achieved with respect to time and position. Because the time is not known with absolute precision, the position and the time must be determined e.g. by linearizing a set of equations for each new iteration.
The calculation of pseudo range can be performed, for example, by measuring the code phases of the satellite signals in the receiver.
The above-mentioned acquisition and frequency control process must be performed for each satellite signal received in the receiver. Some receivers may have several receiving channels, wherein an attempt is made on each receiving channel to acquire the signal of one satellite at a time and to find out the information transmitted by this satellite.
The positioning receiver receives information transmitted by satellites and performs positioning on the basis of the received information. In order to perform positioning, the receiver must receive a signal transmitted by at least four different satellites to detect the x, y, z coordinates and the time data. The received navigation information is stored in a memory, wherein this stored information can be used to detect e.g. the Ephemeris data of satellites.
It may be impossible to maintain the acquisition in situations in which the signal is attenuated. In such a situation, the positioning receiver may not necessarily be capable of measuring pseudo ranges either, so that positioning cannot be performed in receivers of prior art.